OUGD503 - Studio Brief 1 - Noughts and Crosses (4 Days) - Refinement

Refinement of ideas 

Coin idea 

It was decided that using the same coin on both the front and back of the book would best represent the initial quote best.

From research it was found that the typeface used on coins was an original hand carved lettering however Times New Roman is very similar in style to the typeface.  Using Times New Roman for the design it was considered would reinforce the concept with the quote and make a visual link between the typography and the imagery.

Using italics for 'crosses' emphasises their importance reflecting crosses within the book. It was also found within the book all references to Noughts were always written completely in lowercase whereas Crosses always had a capital letter at the beginning. 

Placing the text on the back cover meant having to shape the blurb around the penny on the back cover. It was found that the text on the back cover wasn't going to fit unless the design was moved down slightly. Placing the reviews on the back cover would mean having to place them in the bottom right corner, however the bar code would interfere with this so had to be moved over to allow more room for the reviews. When orientating the text to the left this meant that the end of the blurb would have to be moved to the right of the coin where there was enough space, which made the flow of blurb look odd. 

Orientating the text to the right means that the blurb is able to flow around the coin much better.

The right orientation of the blurb means that the reviews were also made to be right orientated, both for consistency and to help the text fit within the space.

Within the title using a mixture of bold and regular weights creates a contrast and emphasises 'crosses' as more important.

Orientating the front cover typography to the right in the same way as the back cover creates consistency across the whole design. Reducing the size of  'noughts' also creates more contrast between the two words. 

Rather than setting the title type all in capital letters it was decided to use parts of the title variation that reflects how the words are written within the book, with noughts in lowercase and crosses all in capitals. Setting the two words on two levels creates a separation between noughts and crosses which is also explored within the book through prejudice and segregation. The coin on the spine means that the title had to be adapted to contrast with the image behind.

Removing the coin on the spine makes the title much easier to read. 

To create further contrast it was considered that noughts could be set in white, however this is not as legible on the grey background.

Bubble Design 

For the bubble design it was considered that the typography would have to be quite light to fit in with the delicacy of the bubbles. It was also considered that things are more likely to rise if they are lighter and more likely to fall if heavier. From this it was thought that Crosses could be set in a light typeface and Noughts in a heavier one to suggest how they will never rise. 

It was considered that the key information within the design such as the title and blurb could be placed within the bubbles.

One of my own pre-existing images of the sky was used for the new cover, which was edited to further enhance the blue within the image. 

It was found that when text was placed within a bubble the gradient areas interfered with the text and made some of it bolder. To avoid this the text had to be adapted so there was a larger margin around the text within the bubble.

Using black and white for the typography within the design reflected the issues of race within the book however in a subtle and delicate way. The blurb text was tried in both black and white however one stood out too much in comparison to the rest of the design, whilst the other was not as legible. 

Placing the title typography so that the two lines of text are separated by the cloud line reflects the seperation between noughts and crosses. Flipping the image horizontally meant there was less cloud on the back cover allowing more room for blue sky making the text to stand out more. 

Removing the bubble from behind the blurb allowed the blurb to stand out much more. The positioning of the bubble however is odd and the shape of the blurb now does not have to reflect that of a bubble.

Removing all the bubble from the back cover loses the link with the front cover and the overall concept, however allows plenty of room for the text.

Varying the orientation of the different elements within the blurb reflects the wispy shape of the clouds within the image. 

Overlapping text over some of the bubbles creates a sense of depth within the design, this is emphasised further through the use of small and large bubbles which create the impression that they are floating away.

Altering the blurb further makes the shape of the text look less deliberate and more organic. Making the reviewers white rather than black highlights the actual review more. 

 Water in Oil Idea 

Within the design it was decided that the typography would have to reflect some elements of the shapes within the image. To reflect noughts it was considered that the typeface could have rounded finials to soften the forms of the letters a simulate the water droplets within the image. For the crosses it was decided that the finials on the typeface would be much sharper to reflect the angular nature of a cross. 

It was considered that typographic elements within the design could be clumped together in a similar way to how the water droplets have in the image. The mix in line length of information would also reflect how there are small and large droplets. This effect could be emphasised in the title, also separating the two halves of the title would also suggest how noughts and crosses actively stay away from one another and don't mix. It was found that the typeface for the cover would have to be much lighter than the one above because it looked quite bold especially being white on black. Quicksand Book had rounded finials despite being so thin, combining the weight and shapes wanted within the typeface.

Having a lighter typeface and a bolder one creates contrast within the design and allows the crosses to be emphasised more suggesting importance. The typography in this design was centred on reflecting the water droplets within the image rather than making a distinction between the noughts and crosses. However the crosses bolder typeface, Quicksand Bold, looked quite childish because the rounded finials were more obvious. Elements such as the authors name and the '&' were set in the opposite typeface to what the title words were set in to create contrast and to make all the elements stand out. The placement of the text on the back is quite loose to reflect the organic quality of the image, also the text had to be positioned so that the white text was on the black background so it was legible. Using the same typefaces as the cover allowed emphasis to be place on the reviews, however the light typeface for blurb may not be as legible.

Aligning the text centrally and making the text shape more rounded, it was thought would reflect the shape of the water droplets in the background. Using a more regular weight rather than a light type for the blurb meant it stood out much more.

When adding the spine text it was found that some elements of the title conflicted with the imagery behind making it hard for parts of the title to be read as well as others. The title on the spine carries over the design from the cover to create consistency.  

The type for 'Crosses' was changed to Semplicita Pro Medium, which had more angular finials to better reflect the features of a cross. This was also changed for the reviews to match, however the increased size, which had aimed to make them stand out more, overlapped with the imagery too much. Adding a black bar down the spine meant the title could stand out more.

Changing the blurb back to the lighter typeface reflected the title type and created greater contrast within the design. Adapting the shape of the blurb so the elements fit in a fluid shape between the bubbles better reflected the essence of the image behind. However the top section of the blurb was too square and clunky against the margin.

This was changed by varying the indents of the text to create varied ends on both sides of the text block. Varying the typefaces within the reviews also makes the actual comments stand out much more.

Moving the 'Not Suitable for Younger Readers' up above the barcode allows it to be more legible and stand out. The 'Malorie Blackman' typeface was changed to Semplicita Pro Medium to match one of the typefaces used on the rest of the design.